Overview

We are seeking a Principal Kubernetes Architect to serve as a senior technical authority for the design, evolution, and operation of InterSystems Kubernetes based cloud platforms. This role is responsible for defining reference architectures, establishing engineering standards, and solving the most complex platform challenges across hybrid and multi cloud environments.

As a Principal Architect, you will operate at both a strategic and hands on level. You will design large scale Kubernetes platforms, influence cloud and platform strategy, and mentor engineers across DevOps, Site Reliability Engineering, and platform teams. You will play a critical role in enabling secure, resilient, and highly automated Kubernetes environments that power mission critical managed services and SaaS offerings.

This role is intended for a deeply experienced Kubernetes and cloud professional who has designed, built, and operated production platforms at scale and who acts as a technical leader across organizations.

Key Responsibilities

Platform Architecture and Technical Leadership

Act as a senior technical authority for Kubernetes architecture across managed services and SaaS platforms
Define and maintain reference architectures and design patterns for Kubernetes platforms across on premises, private cloud, and public cloud environments
Lead architectural reviews and provide guidance on cluster design, networking, security, scaling, and multi region strategies
Influence long term platform strategy, tooling selection, and architectural direction in partnership with platform and cloud leadership

Kubernetes Platform Engineering

Design, build, and evolve Kubernetes clusters using platforms such as EKS, AKS, GKE, Rancher, or equivalent enterprise distributions
Establish best practices for cluster lifecycle management, upgrades, multi tenancy, and workload isolation
Architect and implement advanced Kubernetes networking models including CNI plugins, ingress controllers, and network policies
Design secure RBAC models, secrets management approaches, and workload isolation aligned with enterprise security requirements
Ensure platform changes are engineered, tested, versioned, and rolled out with the same rigor as application software

Infrastructure as Code & Automation

Define and enforce Infrastructure as Code standards using Terraform, Helm, and GitOps based workflows
Design reusable and composable infrastructure modules to enable consistent and repeatable platform deployments
Drive automation first approaches to cluster provisioning, configuration, and lifecycle management #
Ensure platform changes are versioned, tested, and delivered through controlled CI and CD pipelines

Reliability, Observability & Operations

Architect observability solutions for Kubernetes platforms using Prometheus, Grafana, Loki, Fluentd or Fluent Bit and related tooling
Define strategies for monitoring, alerting, capacity planning, and performance optimization
Lead troubleshooting of complex platform incidents involving cluster degradation, networking issues, or systemic failures
Partner with Site Reliability Engineering teams to establish service level objectives, error budgets, and reliability engineering practices

Cloud, Hybrid & Data Protection

Design Kubernetes solutions that operate consistently across public cloud and on premises environments
Architect backup, restore, and disaster recovery strategies using tools such as Velero, Kasten, or Stash
Address cloud specific constraints related to identity, networking, storage, and cost optimization

Mentorship & Cross Team Influence

Mentor senior engineers and architects across platform, DevOps, and Site Reliability Engineering teams
Act as a trusted advisor to application teams on cloud native and containerization strategies
Contribute to technical standards, documentation, and internal enablement
Represent platform architecture in cross functional design reviews and technical forums

Qualifications & Experience Required

Ten to fifteen or more years of experience in infrastructure, cloud, platform engineering or Site Reliability Engineering roles with deep Kubernetes specialization
Proven experience architecting and operating large scale Kubernetes platforms in production environments supporting mission critical workloads
Strong hands on experience with AWS, Azure, and or Google Cloud Platform including networking, identity, and storage services
Expert level knowledge of Kubernetes internals, scheduling, networking, security, and storage
Deep experience with Infrastructure as Code and automation using Terraform, Helm, GitOps, and CI and CD systems
Strong Linux and container runtime expertise
Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical problems and influence architectural decisions across teams

Preferred Certifications

Certified Kubernetes Administrator
Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist
Certified Kubernetes Application Developer
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional
Google Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer
HashiCorp Certified Terraform Associate
Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator

Nice to Have Certifications

Experience with GitOps tooling such as Argo CD or Flux
Experience with service mesh technologies such as Istio, Linkerd, or Cilium
Experience with Spectro Cloud or enterprise Kubernetes management platforms
Open source contributions to Kubernetes or cloud native projects
Experience supporting regulated or compliance driven environments
Familiarity with emerging container platforms such as Incus

About InterSystems

InterSystems, a creative data technology provider, delivers a unified foundation for next-generation applications for healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and supply chain customers in more than 80 countries. Our data platforms solve interoperability, speed, and scalability problems for large organizations around the globe to unlock the power of data and allow people to perceive data in imaginative ways. Established in 1978, InterSystems is committed to excellence through its 24×7 support for customers and partners around the world. Privately held and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, InterSystems has 38 offices in 28 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit InterSystems.com.

Principal Kubernetes Architect

Job Description